Field of the Invention
This invention has to do with a measuring tool for use in the construction profession with particular applicability to finish carpentry, piping layouts, floor and ceiling installations and cabinetry. It also has direct applications in the graphic arts field, the engineering and drafting fields and other manufacturing situations where angle measurements are performed.
More specifically, this invention is, in a common embodiment, a hand held scale that allows for measurement of both inside and outside acute and obtuse angles. Three degreed scales allow the user to simultaneously determine;
1) the whole angle measured PA1 2) the bisected or miter angle PA1 3) the miter angle setting to be used on a miter saw.
In the fitting of trim and decorative pieces to the surface of wall surfaces which meet at angular junctions it has been found that there is no effective way of translating the angle of the wall juncture to a miter saw for cutting the trim. The most common method for matching trim angles following a corner is to use a device that is laid on the angle and is locked in that position. The device, sometimes called a "carpenter's square", is then laid on the piece of trim to be mitered and a line for the proposed cut is scribed on the piece. The craftsman then takes the piece to his miter saw and sets the saw by "eyeballing" the blade over the scribed line to get the proper cut. In more precise situations the angle setting of the carpenter's square can be transferred to a protractor and that angle reading is then set into the miter saw using a scale provided on the miter saw.
In the first instance above the "eyeballing" of the saw miter angle can be accurate if the craftsman is very experienced and has learned, through trial an error (including many "miscuts" or poor "fitups") the necessary position of his saw blade relative to his scribed work. However, the usual situation is that such cuts are often inaccurate, especially when made by anyone less than expect craftsmen whose work entails installing trim pieces routinely. The second method above is accurate but requires an extra step, that of transferrings the "square" setting to the protractor.
The invention provided herein gives a person working with wall trim, such as chair rail, cove molding, base board and other joinery as well as with non-decorative trim installations such as plumbing, electrical conduit, floor and carpet installations, aerospace applications and other situations where angles have to be taken from a surface or an edge and measured for a subsequent operation, a scale that reads not only the whole angle measured and the bisected or miter angle but also the miter angle setting for use on a miter saw having an angle scale incorporated thereon.